un-courtly love
by Wintry Leen
Summary: The princess falls in love and the knight cannot catch her. ShikaTema. AU. #34
1. i An offer of marriage

Was planning to work either on my thesis or on the next chapter of my other ongoing story but this plot bunny just won't go away. Been plaguing me since summer started. I was also talking to _fanofthisfiction_ about chaptered stories and I thought this would be a timely experiment.

* * *

 _Un-courtly love_

 _i. An offer of marriage_

"No, Father. I refuse to."

The Princess of Suna had her arms folded across her chest in utter defiance with her face sharply turned away from the King.

When she didn't hear a quick counter from her father, she relaxed her shoulders and sighed audibly.

"I know I'm your daughter but this is one order I will not obey," she spoke more gently this time, giving her father a sideway glance.

"Not the only one."

Temari whirled to face the King when she noted the hint of amusement in his tone, and true enough, her father was seemingly assessing her face for any possibility of overdue confessions from her. Flashes of her mischievous adventures were beginning to flood her mind, and she tried so hard to get them out of her head just so they wouldn't appear visible on her face.

Oh, she would never tell him how she would sneak out of the palace in disguise just before supper to stroll down the streets of Suna. She knew she wasn't supposed to visit the town if there wasn't any official arrangement to do so, but she reasoned to herself that she couldn't be a prisoner of the palace forever. She would also never ever admit that it was actually she who was making those indistinct noises every night, secretly training by herself. Her father had made it quite clear to her since she turned eighteen that mastery in weapon-wielding needed formal training and that it would be dangerous for her to attempt to do it herself, but the moment she laid her fingers on her weapon, all kinds of warnings given to her just flew out the window.

She began to wonder if his father really knew all about her forbidden escapades or he was just assuming things like most fathers do when it comes to their young adult children. Nevertheless, she composed herself and held her chin higher as if saying, _"You're greatly mistaken, Father."_

The King just shook his head fondly before picking up a smart tone again.

"But you do know that you're supposed to be marrying at your age. It's stated in -"

" The Code of Suna," she coolly supplied.

"I'm glad you did your reading."

He crinkled a smile at her, and she dropped her arms, clearly taking offense.

"Father . . ." she tried not to express her anger too much. "I may not be the most obedient daughter but I still know my duties!" she almost screamed but thought that it was unbecoming of a princess so she fumed in silence.

The King just nodded, his chin now perched above his laced fingers. "And I'm sure you know that marriage is your duty, too."

"I . . . know!"

She began pacing around the hall, trying her might not to stomp her every step until she halted, turning back to face her father. "But I'm not ready, Father. You can't just marry me off!"

"I'm not marrying you off, my daughter. I'm planning to invite princes and gentlemen from other kingdoms and it's your decision to choose among them."

She stood there, gaping for a moment. She couldn't believe how her father could stay calm through all this as if her marriage was the most natural thing in the world, and he, as her father, was rightfully doing his duty as the catalyst. But hearing that her father seemed to be giving her a bit of freedom, she began to hope that she still had a fair chance of getting herself out of this ordeal. She then carefully began to phrase her next question.

"But . . . what if," she paused, biting her lip for an effect. "I don't like any of them?"

With a dismissive tilt of his head, the King came out with a smooth reply. "Then give me a name of your choice and we'll see."

Temari wanted to tear her hair out in frustration. She was so never going to get out of this.

"But I don't know anyone!" she finally shouted in anguish.

"Exactly," her father declared triumphantly.

She was just about to come up with another retort when a knock was heard and a palace guard came marching in.

"Your Majesty, King Hiryuu from the Ame Kingdom has arrived," he bowed before making his exit.

Temari's eyes were wider than they had been moments earlier. She then nervously turned to her father.

"King Hiryuu . . . does, does this mean the prince -"

"No, no," he laughed lightly. "We just have some business matter to talk about. But I plan to open up the topic to him. I'm planning to invite his son to come over here in the next few days."

"You can't do this. It's unfair!" she reacted indignantly, her fists tightly balled at her sides.

The king frowned before standing from his high-backed throne.

"I'm sorry. But this has to be done," he said, giving a light pat on her shoulder before walking out of the hall.

Temari just plopped herself down on an armchair upholstered in blue velvet, her gaze directed to the glazed marble floor. She would never accept this. She had always been aware of her fate as the princess and the only heir to the throne, but she didn't quite worry about it when she was younger because she was so sure that everything would change when she reached the age of twenty-one.

Although she didn't want to admit it, she hoped that by this time, she would have met someone that could actually make her want to marry even when she swore off the idea years ago. Young girls usually like to fantasize about their weddings when they grow older, but she was never a fan of such fantasies. She never anticipated the day that she would have to find herself in a wedding dress, exchanging vows with someone she actually loved.

Years ago, she became aware of what love brings to people, and she got scared of experiencing it firsthand. She didn't want to deal with the pain that would be greater than the physical, a wound that might never heal.

Another knock resounded in the almost-empty hall, and it wasn't long before she heard the padding of footsteps.

"I passed by the King and he told me you're here, Princess."

She didn't face the intruder, still caught up in devising plans to stall what was to be her fate.

She heard the person move, and in seconds, there was the sight of a coat of plates, worn-out boots, and steel scabbard in her peripheral vision.

"Your training was supposed to start ten minutes ago."

The man clad in a suit of armor spoke with practiced amicability, and she didn't know why this just irritated her even more.

She looked up, sending his way a quick glare before forcing herself to stand.

"Yeah, sorry. Father and I just had something to talk about."

The knight just nodded in response as he began to trail her when she rather listlessly made her way to the door.

She was glad that her knight wasn't particularly fond of conversations because she found the current silence very comforting, a chance for her to calm down her war of nerves. She had known Shikamaru since she was eleven years old. She would usually see him somewhere in the palace and being the only other child present in the vicinity, she always wanted to approach him and play with him. Her attempts failed most of the time though because he wouldn't usually respond to her friendly gestures. When she turned eighteen, the King had assigned him to be her personal guardian and trainer, her knight as she would like to think of him. She had never really thought of knights as those romantic creatures in fairy tale books that her mother used to read to her, but she thought of Shikamaru as a knight for his unyielding loyalty both to her and her Father.

She knew that even her Father trusted this young man so much because sometimes, he would personally ask Shikamaru to accompany him on his travels. Also, that he was the one whom her father assigned to protect her was a reassuring fact in itself that the man would never do anything to harm her.

Sometimes, she liked to think of him as a friend. After all, he was the only one whom she had known for such a considerable period of time. She had handmaidens but most of them were too old to even bother to chat with her outside of their work. On rare occasions that she got to have younger servants, she still hadn't stood a chance of befriending at least one of them. They never spoke to her in such a manner that displayed their willingness to accept her offer of friendship. She guessed it must have been because she was a princess, and everybody else thought she was just another brat dressed in royalty.

But in all honesty, ever since she lost her mother to a terminal illness at an early age of eight, she had been in dire need of a friend, of someone to talk to. Although she and her father no longer had issues with their father-daughter bond now, she could still remember how he had shut himself off after her mother died. She didn't see him crying, but he visibly grew colder, and there were times that she would have to comfort herself alone, burying her face in her pillow, because there was no father to turn to. She concluded then that love is really such a scary thing, and she wouldn't want to deal with it if she could help it.

They finally reached the training ground. It was a wide expanse dotted with gingko trees here and there that weren't in any form obstructive to her training. While the space was located half a mile from the palace's back gate, it was still technically part of the palace because numerous guards still secured its perimeter.

She noticed that the weapon had already been brought from the weapons' storage room, and she watched as Shikamaru carefully opened its lid, lifted her weapon, and wordlessly handed it to her. When she received her fan, she nudged it so it could slide open and brought it over her back, its width almost covering the length of her figure from head to toe. She then assumed a fighting stance.

"No, Your Highness, we should start with the basic form."

She faced him and remarked angrily. "But I'm way past that stage!"

He curtly nodded. "It's still proper to brush up on the basics every now and then."

"Then what am I training every night for?"

"Princess, no one told you to train during the night," he replied calmly.

"Oh, but you did!"

"I never."

"Yes. You know about it but you never said anything. You're even there!"

"That's part of my duty as a knight, Princess," he said, closing his eyes for a moment.

Rather than wasting more of her time arguing with him, she decided to let it rest.

"Fine."

She then shifted to the ready stance, the basic form that Shikamaru was talking about. She folded up her fan and placed it inches away from her on a horizontal position with her feet apart, her body facing a bit forward. Hearing no nasty remark about her position, she began to ready herself for the next stance. She slid her right foot forward at a 45-degree angle from her other foot, opened her fan slightly and held it just above her right leg. She raised it higher, ready to make her first attack. She was just about to flick her wrist to create what she thought would be a massive sweep when Shikamaru spoke.

"You won't deliver that much with that position. Your muscles," he gently touched her raised arm, "are too taut. You have to deliver with ease."

She none too gently shrugged off his hand.

"I know!"

"Your position seems to be off, too, Your Highness. You have to distribute the weight of your body."

She heard the beginnings of disappointment in his tone so Temari folded her fan with a snap and sighed in exasperation.

"Can we cancel this? As you may have noticed, I'm not in the mood to train," she thrust her fan his way.

He retrieved it from her clutch. "But you'll have to at least flex your muscles once a day."

"Not in the mood, I say."

It was his turn to sigh in exasperation. "You'll need to be prepared for your future battles, Princess."

Indeed, she had always dreamed of being able to protect herself ever since the war that killed thousands of people happened eleven years ago. After her mother died, she realized that her father's increasing absence wasn't all because of his desired way of mourning but because he was also attending to some peace matters. However, his desire for a peaceful process didn't come to fruition when a war inevitably broke out just two years after they lost her mother. She couldn't remember much of what happened, only that she was kept in the palace with lots of guards around while her father lead the charge in the battlefield. Many knights of his father got killed while her father sustained injuries. She recalled how he had to wear a cast for months after the war.

"Battles?" she sneered. "Will I really be pitch into the battlefield if I'm going to get married soon? Don't you think my HUSBAND," she spat, "shall be the one to take responsibility for that?"

"Marriage," he repeated. It was more of a question than a statement.

"My father is going to marry me off soon," she stated in disgust, looking away in order not to see the pitiful look that he would sure be sending her way.

Shikamaru just let out another sigh.

"I'm sure His Majesty didn't say it like that."

"Fine. Take his side. You always do, Shika," she scoffed.

She knew she was being too familiar with him, but she had given that nickname to him the fourth time she tried talking to him when they were still kids. She would call him that way whenever she would make a request to him to accompany her on her late-afternoon strolls or to train with her during some nights. Now that she thought about it, it might actually have been Shikamaru who had been whistling information to her father. She _really_ wouldn't be surprised.

She barely registered the sound of her weapon's case clicking shut when he said, "Alright. Let's call it a day. I'll see you tomorrow for your training."

"No," she pursed her lips. "We'll train tonight. As compensation for today."

Shikamaru started lifting the case off the ground. "We can't, Princess. And I'm sure if you'll be married soon, you're going to have to start the preparations. You have to rest early."

Temari stared at his passing figure in disbelief. She felt betrayed.

"Can't you at least take my side just this one time and can you stop treating me as a princess? Call me by my name!"

Shikamaru paused for a moment. "I can't," he said before resuming his steps.

Temari strode to catch up with him until she was effectively blocking his path. "But you are supposed to be my childhood friend, Shikamaru."

She knew he would deny it, but she was desperate for someone to be with her on this, and he was the only one she knew.

"No."

"Yes! I've known you since we were eleven!" she insisted despite the hopelessness of the situation.

Shikamaru just slowly shook his head.

"You're still a princess, and I'm just . . ." he looked away, "a knight."

She placed her hands on her hips and vigorously shook her head, sighing loudly. She didn't want to think so much about how he just confirmed that it was all a one-sided friendship since the beginning. She didn't want to dwell on it, but she must admit it hurt just a teeny weeny bit.

"No matter. You're still a friend so you should be on my side."

She saw him open his mouth but suddenly got distracted. She followed his gaze and turned to see two servants running towards them.

"Your Highness," both of them panted, "His Majesty is calling for you."

"I'll take care of this," Shikamaru motioned his head towards the case resting on his forearms. "You may go, Princess."

She looked into his eyes and an idea began to form in her head. "No. You're coming with me."

She suddenly picked up the case from his arms and pushed it towards the servants. "Please return this to safety. Thank you," she said in a hurry before grabbing the hand of the confused knight.

She overcame his resistance with an enormous effort until she was finally able to drag him back inside the palace.

Her father met them halfway, and she didn't let go of Shikamaru's hand even when her father briefly passed his eyes over their unusually joined hands although it looked like more of Temari's hand being forcefully enclosed over Shikamaru's.

The King cleared his throat before speaking.

"King Hiryuu was pleased to know about the plan. He will talk to his son and we plan to meet again next week. I'll be inviting other princes as well—"

"No, no. Father. I refuse to." She looked at him determinedly, her grip on Shikamaru's hand tightening.

"That was your same line a while ago, daughter."

"Yes. But you said I could give you a name."

The King furrowed his brows. "You said you know no one."

"Oh, but I do, Father!" she beamed before continuing, "Him."

She looked at her knight and inwardly smirked at his face, usually bored and impassive, now overwhelmed with shock. Taking advantage of Shikamaru's reaction, she hurriedly pried his palm open with her hand so that she could intertwine her fingers with his. She then raised their clasped hands enough for her father to see.

With a confident release of breath, she began:

"It's Shikamaru that I want to marry, Father."

 ** _..._**

 ** _Tbc._**

(let's see where this one goes)


	2. ii A little adventure

**a/n:** It took me a while to put this chapter up because I couldn't decide whether I'd give Shikamaru's POV or just stick with Temari's. Oh well.

* * *

 _ii. A little adventure_

Temari's triumphant smile didn't last long. She felt an involuntary gasp coming out of her lips when Shikamaru forcefully pulled his hand out of her grasp.

Transfixed by the knight's uncharacteristic action, she stood there watching as Shikamaru took a step and bowed.

"Your Majesty, it is a complete misunderstanding."

But Temari quickly commandeered her thoughts and took hurried steps closer to her father.

"No, Father. It's absolutely not," she retorted in an instant.

She heard the knight behind her expel an exhausted sigh.

"Princess, with all due respect, I don't remember having that kind of arrangement with – "

"Oh, but now you do! Shikamaru, you will marry me," she said, half-turned, forcing her demanding voice through her gritted teeth, her fists clenching ever so tightly.

The king cleared his throat.

"Daughter, this is clearly a problem that – "

"It's not a problem, Father."

She turned back and strolled over to Shikamaru as calmly as possible and took hold of his hand again, hardening his glare at him for a moment, before stubbornly facing her father.

"We will get married."

She felt the knight lay his other hand atop hers lightly before he carefully retracted his hand from her now loosening grip.

"Your Highness, I stand by my earlier refusal."

The King just shook his head and clasped his hands together loudly.

"It's not settled then. Prepare yourself for the coming days, Temari. I'll be sending out the invitations tomorrow."

Temari opened her mouth to speak, but the King had already held his hand up.

Temari's withering gaze flickered between the two figures. Shikamaru's face was turned away while her father's eyes looked stern, but she knew just how pitiful she must have been in his eyes. She didn't want to admit defeat, but she felt at loss and cheated on. She stared hard at the floor, disgusted at seeing her miserable face. She heard the rustle of heavy fabric, and she looked up to see the King already walking away.

"It shouldn't have turned out this way," she muttered, her voice, quivering and crude.

"You didn't know what you were saying, Princess."

Temari felt affronted by his words. She didn't need to be lectured on because she sure knew what she was saying, and he wasn't in any position to tell her otherwise.

She turned to him, sour-faced, and she looked stonily into his eyes.

"Was it so wrong for you to just say yes?"

He closed his eyes, and for a moment, Temari thought he would just walk away, leaving her no response from him. She saw him pinch the bridge of his nose before he opened his eyes and settle them on her.

"I don't plan to marry, Your Highness."

She then drew in a large breath and waited for him to provide an elaboration, something more acceptable that that petty excuse. But he dropped his gaze, and her initial anger shook up through her again.

"Neither do I!" she all but yelled, her cheeks, red with anger. "But it's my duty, and I thought . . . I thought you would make it easier for me. . ." she finished lamely.

Before he could see the state she was in, she had already gathered up her silk garment in fistfuls before stomping off down the hall.

She heard thudded steps behind her, and she wheeled around on him.

"Don't follow."

"But – "

"Princess' order."

If they were in any other situation, she would have smirked openly at the sight of his arrested face as if he were having a taste of his own medicine. It was he who was insisting on their division anyway. She was still a princess, and he was just her knight as he had put it, and she was only using his claim to her advantage.

She immediately went to her room, grabbed the satin cloak hanging from the back of her chair, toed off her shoes and shuffled in her boots before storming out of her room and out of the main hall. She met her female servants along the way, and she muttered a tart "Outside" when asked about where she was headed. Surely, they wouldn't have thought that she had an unconventional idea of what outside meant.

It was usually easy doing this escapade with Shikamaru because he had proved to be an effective distraction for the palace guards so that she could sneak out as unnoticeably as possible. Being the most trusted knight of the King, all guards looked up to him as their superior, unfailingly buying his every word. If he said that there would be some packages to deliver to the town using the carriage, they would immediately open the gates for him without even inspecting what was really contained inside the carriage. All she had to do was to draw the curtains of its windows, and the mission would be a complete success. They always managed to return to the palace in the same manner, and she could only fall about laughing every time.

This time, however, she wasted no second on formulating an alternate, foolproof idea aside from the one currently inside her head. It was urging her to just act on impulse, and she did.

She went to the stable, rushing past the caretaker of the horses before going directly for her brown champion horse. She learned horse riding at fifteen, and it had served as her pastime until the King reminded her that she still had royalty duties to pay attention to like acquainting herself with the Code of Suna and undergoing a training that would improve her diplomatic and social skills. In short, she had to give up her leisure time to become prim and proper or more "princess-like" as how her etiquette master would like to stress it.

She uncoiled the reins from the pole, and without any hesitation, she mounted the horse and leaned forward, touching her heels to its sides.

Her champion horse lopped past the caretaker who in utter shock just dropped the pail of hay he had in his clutch. Temari gave him an apologetic smile and waved before facing forward, further leaning over.

The pebbles spat from the ground as she directed the horse towards the palace gate.

"Move!" she hollered at the guards who attempted to block the path. But at the speed that the horse was going, they had no choice but to helplessly scramble away.

The stationed guard in charge of opening the door was jolted awake by the clopping noise, and he fell off his seat when he saw the horse bounding towards him.

"Open the door!"

He instinctively scrabbled on the thick rope, pulling at it with a desperate force. The moment the wooden door had been pulled up within a hair's breadth of touching Temari's head, she increased the horse's speed and blasted through the opening.

She could hear the guards milling around, calling her back in a frenzied manner, but she paid them no heed and spared them not even a glance as she guided her horse now cantering across the bridge that separated the palace from the mainland.

She soon reached a small clearing with only the lush green around and dismounted, tying the reins around a tree. She put on her cloak, kept the hood in place before running off into the main street of the town which wasn't far from the area.

It was still a little early in the afternoon, so it was quite expected that the unpaved street was teeming with people, mostly women with baskets, either empty or half-filled with bread and vegetables, dangling from their arms. She passed by the mason's place, that same timbre of clanging echoed from inside, then walked by the shop selling antique tools, the sign of a large X nailed at the door. She then saw children scampering across the streets and jostling around two people. One was pouring liquid into small cups and handing them to the outstretched hands while the other one was dishing out what she could make out as chunks of meat.

She then went to the cobblestoned market square with huckster stalls lining the street. She passed by a fruit stand, the woman behind of which was busy counting the coins from her pocket, and further down the street was the merchants' place with wares of silver and bronze hanging for display. Right next to it was her favorite place of all. It looked like a run-down shop, but it was selling tarts, cupcakes, and other sugary treats, so she couldn't care less about its decrepit appearance.

They offered simple baked goods, and she was thankful for it because they had lemon cupcakes, the taste of which resembled that of those which her mother used to bake for her. She would remember how she used to stay by her mother's side as her mother prepared everything and how her mother liked seeing her reaction to the tangy taste of lemon. In the palace, their baker could whip up any kind of pastry, grand confections at that, for their daily desserts, but all she really wanted was a simple lemon cupcake. Asking the baker would be hilarious and embarrassing though because after all, she wasn't a kid anymore.

On any other occasion, she would have had a taste of the cupcake. Shikamaru was a very useful company. They had a silent agreement not to talk whenever she dragged him here, and it gave her time to enjoy seeing a vibrant scene of lively beings, a refreshing break from constantly seeing high walls and empty, long halls. She would only talk to him if ever she wanted to eat something. She couldn't risk being noticed by the people so it was always he who would enter the shop and buy her her lemon cupcake. She would always bring her purse with her, but Shikamaru would always insist that he pay for it.

At the end of the street was an alleyway leading to a park with a fountain installed at the center of it. But the main attraction was really the maze situated on the far north of the park. Shikamaru told her that it used to be functional, a recreation place for adults and children alike, but years had passed, and people weren't able to maintain it.

Usually, the gate would be locked, but it was a surprise that this time, she found one side of the gate swinging inside. She looked around her and saw that no one was paying her attention, so she hastily stepped through the opening.

She didn't care about the legality of her action. She needed to cool down and take her mind off things. Besides, if this was an abandoned area then nobody could sue her for trespassing. She mindlessly made her way through the maze, taking alternate left and right turns as she ran her fingers across the towering walls of hedges. She walked on the sun-heated path with some stubbles of grass and sprouts of wild weeds that she would have felt brushing against her skin if it weren't for her boots. Some paths were blocked by a wasteland of overgrown hedges with bugs and ants crawling everywhere, but this didn't deter her from continuing with this little adventure, and she carefully managed her way even through such blockades.

She just kept on going, wanting to find for herself the way out of this maze, because she believed that it could also be a sign that she could get herself out of the present circumstances. Suddenly, her ears caught the sound of bickering voices. She muted her steps and hid behind a wall, peering through the little gaps between the leaves. She saw two male figures at the brink of punching each other. One was a gaunt, frail-looking man while the other was stuffed and paunchy.

"You fool! The order was to keep quiet."

"They outta know it soon!"

"But the lord said he has yet to plan things perfectly!"

Her breath hitched when a huge hand clasped her shoulder.

"What's a missy like you doing here?"

 _ **...**_

 _ **Tbc.**_

(So I chose to stick with Temari's because I think it'd be more exciting that way? What do you think? This chapter should've also been longer but I've been editing for hours! I'll try to update next week just before my classes start.)


	3. iii An understanding

**a/n:** last ffn update. for now. i hope.

* * *

 _iii. An understanding_

Temari finally whipped around to see a man with shaggy hair and grizzled mustache, his lips forming a mischievous smirk as he chewed on the butt of an unlit cigarette. On impulse, she jerked her head down to dodge his probing gaze and made a swift move to get past him, but the man just stretched out his arm, and she had to avoid bumping into it. She then heard the two other men shuffling towards them.

She cursed mentally. If only it wouldn't attract so much suspicion from the normal people, she would've paraded herself with her massive weapon resting against her back, and she wouldn't have so much difficulty dealing with these strange creatures.

With no choice left, she stepped back and gathered all her energy into her left leg as she lifted it off the ground and swung a kick into the man's crotch. The man doubled over, and she shot past him as fast as she could, trying to remember the way out. On the one hand, she was glad that she was wearing her square-toe boots, making it easier for her to carry her feet, but on the other hand, she wished she had some heels that could have added to the blow she just delivered.

She just kept swerving at every corner she saw, trying to ignore the scurrying footsteps, which seemed to be closing in from all sides of her. It didn't take long before her suspicion was finally confirmed. On her next turn, the gaunt man was already standing at the end of the path, and she couldn't turn back anymore because the paunchy one was also standing at the other end and now heavily panting, effectively blocking her way.

With a sigh, she pulled back her hood and looked at them as authoritatively as she could.

"Oh, it's the princess!" The bony man almost squealed in delight, bringing his hands together, tapping his fingers against each other.

"If you know me, then please get out of my way. It's an order," she said calmly yet firmly.

Then the man with the grizzled mustache came into view and took long, hip-swinging strides towards her.

"Why is a royalty like you here? Are you in need of fun, my lady?"

She wished she were misrecognizing the sticky tone in his voice because she had never felt more disgusted in her life.

The three men started to edge closer in unison, but Temari just held her chin higher, straightening her back. A low-level panic was kicking in, but they wouldn't make her lose her composure.

"I had some matters to attend to. Now please make way. I'm coming through."

It was the turn of the man with the protruding beer belly to speak. "You can't just order us around like that. You're in our territory."

They all guffawed, and she raised a perfect brow at the sight of these idiots. She then crossed her arms. "Excuse me, but this is not your property. It's a public space! I'll make sure the King will know about this."

The man with the grizzled mustache stopped mid-laugh, his face, now twisting into a sickening smile. "Then the more we shouldn't allow you to go back."

The bony man got to her first and tried to yank the cloak off her, but the fabric couldn't be easily ripped, so the force sent her instead into an imminent fall. But rough hands grabbed her shoulders unexpectedly, and she was suddenly staring into the face of the grizzly mustached man.

"Flimsy." A wicked leer made its way to his face, and she couldn't wait to wipe it off with her fist.

But the hands slid down her arms, squeezing them tightly, and she suddenly felt numbed.

She could hear her heart throbbing and the blood pulsing in her ears. She wanted to make a struggle, but she found herself blanking out, terrified, because somehow she knew what was going to happen next. The firm grasp on her arms felt so _so_ familiar, and she couldn't breathe.

"Let her go."

When the man released her, it was only then that she registered the glint of the sword poised above his head. She didn't care to know what was going on. She just wanted to leave the place.

The man then threw up his hands in surrender, moving aside to face the intruder.

"If this was a fair fight, we'd take you up on that, Mr. Knight-in-shining-armor," the offender snorted.

Shikamaru advanced a step so that the sword was now directly aimed at the center of the mustached man's forehead.

"Come on boys, we're retreating."

She heard a clattering of feet getting away, and suddenly she was looking at Shikamaru standing a few feet away, putting his sword back into its sheath before looking at her. She couldn't care less if that was genuine concern or pity she was seeing.

"Princess . . ."

He took a step towards her, and she squirmed away pointedly. She felt embarrassed that he had to find her in such a humiliating situation. She didn't ask for any protection, but it would be ridiculous to insist that she didn't need that at that moment. She still felt paralyzed, and she could still remember the uncomfortable feeling of being caged unwantedly.

" I . . . I told you not to follow me," she began, suppressing the tremors in her voice.

"I didn't."

She attempted a mocking smile. "Then why are you here?"

"The King sent me to fetch you. You made quite a scene back there in the palace, Princess."

She turned her back on him. "Tell him I'm not ready to go back yet. I will not run away if that's what he's afraid of."

She then started walking off, ready to turn left.

"The way out is to the right, Princess."

She only huffed and turned to the other direction. She hated that he was following, and she hated that she needed his instructions to get out.

When she finally turned right, as per Shikamaru's instruction, and saw the gate, she hastened her steps and walked through it, noticing that there were no longer people around.

She then turned around, seeing that indeed, he was carefully maintaining a distance – he was still standing beside a wall of hedges.

She pursed her lips. "I appreciate your help. You can leave now and tell the King everything I said."

He gave a brisk shake of his head. "The King also told me to bring you home. I can't return without you, Princess."

"Or what? Or else you'll have your head off?" she mocked. "You're too loyal sometimes, Shika, it makes you pitiful."

She didn't know what made her say that, but somehow, Shikamaru turned his gaze away, and she almost wanted to apologize. Almost. This day had been rather cruel to her, and perhaps she was just trying to get even by carelessly issuing snide remarks. He was just unlucky that he was at the receiving end.

Hesitantly, she began to walk away.

"You can go wherever you want, Princess. I'll be here but I won't bother you."

She looked at him then, as if challenging him. "You might have protected me. But I'm not that weak."

She still couldn't get over the fact that he had protected her – what were all those trainings for? – and she couldn't forgive herself for even getting wedged into that kind of petty trouble. It was an insult both to her status and to her principles as a woman.

He didn't say anything, so she continued walking away in a stately pace, an attempt to say that her pride wasn't injured. When she reached the center fountain and saw an old couple walking across the paved ground, she wore her hood.

The old man was holding the umbrella over the old woman's head, and he had his other arm around her shoulder as they walked together. Despite everything that had just transpired, Temari found herself smiling at the scene. She thought that if her mother was still alive, it would be no wonder that her mother and her father would someday be like that, too, growing old together and supporting each other. She then tried to imagine if she could also share such an amorous moment with someone in the future.

As she was debating between yes and no, the old woman suddenly wobbled on her feet and crashed against the old man, making him drop the umbrella. Temari immediately raced towards the couple, but Shikamaru was quicker, and he had already supported both the old man and woman when she came to a halt few steps behind him.

She saw a glimpse of Shikamaru's concerned expression as she heard him ask almost in a frantic:

"Obaa-chan, are you alright? Do you need me to take you to the health center?"

"No, it's fine now, young gentleman," the old woman quickly replied and smiled at him.

Her eyes slid over to Temari, and her smile just brightened even more. "Oh, and is that you, Your Royal Highness?"

Temari smiled politely and just bowed her head.

"Is it okay for you to be out of the palace?"

Before she could even think of an excuse, Shikamaru had smoothly intervened.

"The Princess had some matters to attend to, Obaa-san."

"Where are you headed, Obaa-san?"

Temari approached them, a warm smile plastered on her face

"It's our 50th anniversary and I'm supposed to get her a new ring," the old man said in a cheery tone

"Oh, congratulations, Obaa-chan, Ojii-chan !" Temari exclaimed, her hand coming up to touch the base of her neck, feeling a quick burn of joy.

The old woman then held Temari's hands and looked earnestly into her eyes. "It won't be long, Your Highness, before you get your wedding band, too. Who's the lucky young man?"

Temari's heartfelt smile was visibly replaced with a bland expression, and she found herself biting at the inside of her lip, when she got reminded of her present predicament, feeling an onrush of fear that she would never end up as happily as this old woman did.

But the old woman seemed to understand her silence and just squeezed her hands.

"It's okay, Princess. Your own prince charming shall come at the perfect time. Good luck."

Temari thoughtlessly nodded, wondering why the woman seemed to be so sure of it, wondering if age would really bring such wisdom that it could even give one the ability to divine the future of someone else.

Shikamaru then asked if they would really be okay on their own, and they said yes and waved goodbye at them enthusiastically.

As Temari saw them off, she murmured absently, "That's why I don't want to get married."

"Princess?"

"I'm afraid I'd reach that age alone," she smiled thinly.

"But one has to remain strong for the other. The one who's been left behind has to continue living."

Temari just looked at him, surprised at the promptness and conviction of his answer as if it had always been his living principle. She waited for him to say more, but his eyes were also glued to the old couple now entering what must be another merchant's shop.

"Let's go back," she then said, ready to leave behind everything that had happened that day.

Shikamaru were still steps away from her as they went out of the other side of the alley, past the adored pastry shop, the merchant's place, then the fruit stand now filled with only a bunch of apples, and finally out into the main street.

She didn't even try checking if the knight was following because she didn't need to, but when she got to the clearing where her horse was tied, it still came as a big surprise to her that another horse of a familiar color was tied to the next tree. For the first time in that day, she laughed and couldn't stop.

Shikamaru finally caught up and casually untied his horse.

"How did you know?" she asked, still coming down from her bouts of laugh.

"I know you, Princess." He smiled at her for what she could remember as the first time, and she was taken aback for a moment.

She then avoided his gaze and hopped on her horse, suddenly conscious of some kind of warmth spreading through her cheeks. She knew that he must have known that it was her first time bringing her horse outside the palace, and maybe choosing this clearing was an obvious option. After all, he couldn't be serious when he said that. He didn't even show any interest in being friends with her. She let her mind drift away as her horse started trotting. She didn't pay him any attention, much less look at him, even when his horse was also trotting at the same pace as hers.

The dusk fell in early, and they could only feel the afterglow of the sun when they decided to walk the rest of the path towards the palace after crossing the bridge.

"Princess . . ."

"Hmm?" she asked automatically as she stroked the mane of her horse.

Shikamaru stopped walking and faced her.

"Are we going to tell the King about what happened?"

The intrusive feeling of the man's grasp on her shoulders suddenly felt real again, and she involuntary shivered, stilling her from her actions.

It must have shown because Shikamaru was suddenly at her side, his hand ghosting over her arm.

She smiled up at him then and shook her head, taking a step back. "I don't think it's something to be worried about. Besides, I'm sure those thugs," she snorted, "wouldn't go back there anymore now that we know about them. And . . . it's my fault anyway," she said gingerly, looking away.

Shikamaru looked at her for a moment before giving a single nod.

"Oh, and I had said cruel things to you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she bit her lip, hesitant to meet his gaze.

"Please don't worry about it."

Then she finally looked up, finding a reason to justify what she had said.

"But I mean it, Shika. I meant it when I said you're too loyal and I thought it'd be good if I could just choose you as my future partner since I've practically known you for this long," she then smiled sadly, knowing that this wouldn't change anything, but she thought he just needed to know.

It was Shikamaru's turn to look away, facing the direction of the palace.

"But why don't you want to get married?" she asked.

He didn't say anything and just walked back beside his horse.

She let out a beat of a laugh, shaking her head and sighing resignedly. "You're still that same boy years ago who never volunteered any information."

She then started walking with her horse.

"Princess."

Temari turned to see a small package proffered to her, and the wrapping was too familiar that she knew what was inside it before she even opened it.

"Thank you . . ." she breathed, suppressing an idiotic grin.

She was so happy that the thought of hugging the knight too kind and too loyal to her raced across her mind, and she had to focus back on playing with her horse's mane before resuming her steps.

When they got back to the palace, Temari was immediately sent for by the King. Surprisingly, the King didn't reprimand her for her behavior and just told her he was glad that she was safe. She avoided his gaze briefly, thankful that Shikamaru agreed not to tell her Father anything about what had happened.

After supper, she almost skipped her way back to her room where her precious favorite was waiting for her. She then met Shikamaru down the hall, her weapon resting on his arms.

"Princess, your weapon is ready."

She groaned as she realized that she had forgotten about the training.

"I really wish I could train tonight, Shikamaru, but I'll be busy the whole day tomorrow. I'll have to prepare, as you said so. I've got lots to think about."

She really wanted to train. It was always something she had looked forward to, but her Father wanted her to start thinking up of plans she wanted to execute in order for her to choose the best candidate among the princes and gentlemen who would be coming over in the upcoming days. She also had to prepare her speech and most of all, she needed to practice having an amicable face and an ever so radiant, cordial smile as if she was excited for what was all to happen.

"I apologize."

She knew what he was referring to, and after a moment's reflection, she replied.

"It's true that I was angry at you for a moment but don't worry about it, I know the feeling of repulsion to the idea of marriage. You're just a tad luckier because you're not going to be married off like me," she laughed dryly. "Besides, you've bought me my favorite cupcake so you're already forgiven," she said, the corner of her lips twitching into an amused smirk.

She then flexed her shoulders, stifling a yawn. "I'm going in, Shikamaru. Have a wonderful night."

"Princess . . ."

"Yes?"

She saw him hesitate, but he held her gaze. "I do not wish to get married because like you, I am afraid."

She smiled, understanding dawning on her.

"But if it's you protecting her, then I'm sure you won't lose her."

She walked over to him and slapped his arm playfully. "Come on, Shika, have faith in yourself!" she laughed.

The knight's eyes widened for a bit, perhaps surprised by her action, but she retained her smiling expression before thoughtfully adding what she had been wanting to say.

"I also apologize for the way I acted earlier. It will not happen again. Oh, and . . . thank you for stepping in just at the right moment."

She still felt bad that she had to be protected that way, but she would give credit where it was due.

"As always, Princess."

For the second time in her life, she saw him smile so genuinely at her, and she began to believe that finally, after ten years, he had allowed her to feel that maybe they had been friends all along.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Tbc.**_

(not sure if they're still in character but I do hope you're enjoying the story so far)


	4. iv A decision

**a/n:** semester is over; thesis not yet.

* * *

 _iv. A decision_

To say that the Princess of Suna was busy was a cliché understatement.

In fact, Temari had been so royally busy she could even take herself for a queen, that is, a queen who had to manage everything in the absence of a king. As part of the preparations that her father wanted her to duly comply to, she had to be put under the tutelage of certain advisers to relearn and this time master the etiquette of gracious politeness and femininity which pointedly meant spending time away from her nightly excursions – trainings – with her most trusted knight.

As if to emphasize the hopelessness of her situation, her father also had to summon her at times just so he could quiz her on the proper greeting and conduct, and Temari had to exercise her facial muscles, maneuvering them into some amicable expression that would pass for what her father had expected her to have mastered by then.

The palace's seamstress had also been busy preparing her gown for the ceremony that would inevitably take place when she finally chose that someone she would want to marry. She hoped that that day would not come but as stated in the Code of Suna, she was of the marrying age and bounded to this fate. She actually could not care less about the gown. She just wanted it not to be pink and without frills or sequins. There was no need for glitters or shining embellishment. She did not want to look like as if she had stepped out of a fairy tale coloring book. To be honest, she just wanted everything to get over with, and she did not care about appearances. She really never did. She would even show up in her armory suit if only she could.

Of course, the palace's cooks also had their hands full in finalizing the list of meals that would be served to the royal visitors. They still had to gain the King's approval before they could materialize the list, and Temari just snorted when she briefly glanced over the list and found that her favorite pastry was not even drafted for approval. She was not surprised. No one seemed to remember.

Last but definitely not the least, every helper in the palace was polishing every visible thing, every nook and cranny of the palace, every inch of the marbled floor.

Shikamaru on the other hand, she heard, was the overseer of the sending out of the invitations. He even had to deliver some of them himself just for efficiency. They had not talked in a while except for those times that Temari would catch his eyes and she could just let out a sigh, an indication of her exhaustion triggered by everyday frustration. He would always have that apologetic look and afraid that she was miscommunicating her message, she would quickly shake her head and twist the lopsided smile into a neutral line.

She was actually still very much hesitant about the whole damn – excuse her language! – thing but she knew that there was no turning back now. She did not want to humiliate the Kingdom and her father now that the invitations had been sent out. She could only try to smile as she made herself to her room, preparing for another hour of lecture on decorum a.k.a. civil pretenses.

* * *

The sun had not risen yet when she woke up in her dark chamber. Roughly tugging off her eye mask, Temari heaved yet another sigh, still in disbelief that only a few days from now she would be marrying one of the princes and gentlemen who had been invited to their kingdom. She then remembered what the old lady told her just a few days ago – or was it a week ago? – that the right person for her would come at the right time. She was not looking forward to meeting him, but could it be that she would meet him in this unanticipated occasion? But how would she even know if it was the right person? Would something leap out from inside her?

She proceeded to her vanity, patted away the creases upon her face, and pulled her hair up into two buns because sooner or later, her maidservant would come strolling in to help her prepare. Just then she heard a knock and stood up to open the door. Her maid was surely earlier than the usual.

But she let out a small gasp when what faced her on the other side of the door was Shikamaru whom she had not seen much for days.

"Uhm . . ."

Shikamaru just bowed his head.

"Good morning, Princess."

"Why . . ."

"I thought I'd just drop by and send you best wishes for whatever is to happen this day."

Temari offered a smile despite her circumstances.

"Thank you. I . . . never, really, wanted this . . ."

"Please know that as your knight, I'll only be here, Princess. At your beck and call."

When he looked at her again, she suddenly felt conscious and realized that she was only clad in her nightgown. She forgot to grab and put on her robe which was hanging at the back of her chair because she was expecting her maidservant anyway.

She avoided his gaze and huddled close to the door, slowly slipping behind it.

"I know, Shika. Even if I get to find a husband soon, I don't think he'll gain my trust as easily as that. So until I feel comfortable, you'll have to keep me company. Like always," she grinned.

"Of course."

She meant it to be a tease, so she did not expect a straight answer from him. There was a pause, prolonged, pregnant, but before things could get more awkward between them, she thought of an excuse to get away.

"Minami-san should be coming in soon. I should be preparing."

"I'm sorry for the disturbance."

With that, he departed, and she closed the door quickly. Her eyes were unfocused as she thought about what just happened – such a strange encounter in this early morning. She was pulled out of her reverie when a second knock resounded and she heard the muffled voice of her maid.

She shrugged off whatever lingering thoughts she had and opened the door.

* * *

She had never felt so suffocated in a royal gown before. The seamstress and the palace's designer both agreed that she had to be stunning. By that they meant that she had to be clad in such a voluminous gown she had to stagger in her every step. It was supposed to be a simple halter gown, but the adults decided to have it their way – ivory silk, sequins, layers of embroidered lace, which are what exactly she desperately so avoided. The seamstress and the designer justified this last-minute changes because the King had apparently informed them of the expected number of visitors which negated the power of the long-held principle, "Simplicity is beauty." Temari could not help sulking as the two helped her fit into the gown. To appease her, they promised she could design the gown she would want to wear at the night that she would formally choose her partner.

But even her hair did not escape the hands of the two culprits so she had to endure the discomfort brought by the ends of her hair brushing across her nape and bare shoulders.

The hallway of the whole length of the upper hall was veiled from sight with red velvet curtains. The only visible spot was the northern scaffold where the King was currently observing. As part of the protocol, Temari had to make sure no one would see her before the King formally introduced her so she was given a seat near the porch but still hidden from the view.

Temari had just finished calming her nerves down when she saw the reception shall flooded with unfamiliar faces and assorted glints of armors and scabbards.

"Father!" she whispered rather shrilly.

"Yes, my – Oh, you look different, daughter." There was bewilderment in her father's eyes, and she did not know what to feel.

"What . . . is . . . this. . ."

The King turned back to look at the crowd and turned to her with an indulgent smile. "Prospects."

She began panicking. "Just how many invitations did you send out, Father?"

"About 300?"

"Three . . . hundred?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Well, they're not all princes. I uphold egalitarianism so I'm giving chance even to those of lower rank. There are the counts, the dukes, the gentlemen, the – "

"That's not the point, Father. But 300?!"

"I didn't expect for all of them to come."

"How could I possibly . . ." she choked.

The King just squeezed her hand. "We've talked about this, daughter. This is why I told you to think of tests to administer."

Temari still found everything overwhelmingly outrageous and the unfamiliarity of the faces of people swarming the room was giving her a nausea. She clutched at the curtain as she scanned the room, desperate to find a familiar face, when the King interrupted her searching.

"If you're looking for Nara, he's right there."

She followed where the King was pointing until she saw that all too familiar figure standing unfazed by one of the marble columns. As if sensing her gaze, Shikamaru turned his head towards her direction, and she could only smile when he gave her a reassuring nod.

She exhaled sharply and thought about how it would all be over soon if she would start now.

"Father, I'm ready."

The King looked at her, gave a firm smile, and proceeded to demand the attention of the crowd.

"My deepest gratitude for all of you who have journeyed all the way here to respond to my invitation. As a father, it is unbearably difficult for me to allow for such an occasion, but as the King, I must comply to the Code to the best of my abilities. I can only express my sincerest desire for my daughter to have a long and blissful marriage with that one lucky man who will cherish her the same way I did her mother. Allow me to present my one and only daughter, Temari of Suna."

With a final release of breath, she stepped out into the light and carefully descended the stairway. She could feel all eyes exploring every inch of her face, perhaps trying to detect any hint of unfriendliness in her facade, but she knew the role she had to play, and she had practiced every day and every night (much to her dismay) to give a flawless performance.

She reached the intermediate landing and waited for the applauses to pause before she spoke, deciding to not follow the speech she had in mind.

"I am very honored to see you all gathered here. Much as I am pleased to meet each and every one of you, my father is really in such a hurry to find a suitable husband for me . . ." she paused, swiftly glancing back at her father whose smile seemed to be willed, and continued in a new tone, " so let us not waste a moment. I shall give you now the rules of the game. The first challenge is archery. Only those who will be able to hit the bull's eye at first strike will proceed to the next challenge. Good luck."

The palace guards proceeded to open the doors to lead the suitors out into the courtyard. While everyone else was busy bustling around, the King walked up to Temari, but she slyly parried whatever remark he would be making.

"Father, let's not waste time, shall we?" she said, simply smiling.

She then made her way down the stairs and to the door. She prayed to whoever Kami that no one would get to hit the bull's eye just so everything would be over. She watched in anticipation as the first few batches failed to deliver, but later on, she almost found herself walking out at the sight of not only few but a lot of men hitting the target with such accuracy and fluidity. An hour passed, and there was actually a hundred of them who proved to be excellent archers.

"Congratulations, gentlemen . . ." she began, trying hard to smile. "As promised, you are all proceeding to the second round. In this round, your skill at swordsmanship will be tested. Find a partner and challenge him to a duel which should last for five minutes. The ones whose swords get to be thrown out will be eliminated which means that if the both of you have your swords flung out, you are both eliminated."

She plopped down on the royal couch that had to be brought out onto the veranda. It was supposed to be just a cushioned chair because according to her advisers, she had to maintain proper sitting posture, but things were definitely not going well for her so she ordered the willing servants to take out a couch instead.

"Your challenges are quite hard, Princess."

She passed the knight an exasperated look. "I just really need all of them to get out of here."

Shikamaru chuckled, and she felt that strange feeling again. She coughed. "But why are you here anyway? You're supposed to help the guards observe."

"I am observing."

"I meant not here but there on the field itself!"

"The King was right. You're getting crankier by the minute, Princess. You need company."

He offered a smile, but she deliberately did not take it. She looked at her suitors fighting each other so eagerly, and she just shook her head every time. The only consolation for her was that there were actually swords flying which meant that this lot was not as skilled in swordsmanship as Shikamaru.

She recalled how she would sometimes find him training by himself or having a duel with her father. There was something about the way he moved and flexed his wrist that suggested mastery. Whenever he swished his sword against the air, she could feel the air actually getting spliced, quick and neat. Also, his arms were always positioned in such a way that blocked the crucial points on his upper torso and –

It took her a while to fully register the light pats against her arm, and Shikamaru's face came into focus.

"Are you okay, Princess?"

"Uh . . . uhm yes. What's happening?"

"The duels are over."

Temari stood up from her seat and saw the heaving bodies lying across the ground. One of the guards approached her and reported that only twenty-five of the suitors remained standing. Temari instinctively beamed, but she caught herself and re-fixed her stoic face.

The remaining twenty-five were led back into the palace and were given time to replenish their energy with the teas and pastries that palace's baker had prepared for them.

Meanwhile, Temari was pulled aside by the King to talk about the last challenge that Temari would offer. Temari decided that it would be just them answering one simple question and if the proper man for her was among the remaining men, then she would know it by his answer. She insisted on the one-to-one correspondence between the question and her preferred answer, but the King saw through her plan. He argued that there was no way they could give the exact answer she had in mind so she had to choose at least the three answers closest to the original. He pressed that it could only be in this way that she would have a man to marry.

Her efforts to get out of this situation were clearly amounting to nothing, so she finally succumbed to what her Father wanted and went on to meet and ask each of the men personally. Each of them had their own praise to sing for her, and she worked on sustaining that perfunctory smile on her face when all she wanted to do was to appear fierce to discourage the men from even attempting to engage her interests. Flirting was some skill she never wished to learn.

As expected, almost all of them declared their answers with such fervent passion they almost took out their hearts and served them in golden platter to her. Their answers were all dull variations of "I would protect you with all my heart even if it costs me my life." She tried so hard to maintain a straight face throughout the session even when she felt oh-so-sick.

There were three passable answers. If she would have it her way, she would not accept even those answers, but she knew that the King trusted her integrity as a princess and as his daughter so she could not possibly think of deceiving him. She had a definite answer in mind, but as promised, she had to decide on the three responses closest to what she would want to hear.

Count Duncan of Amathyria answered, "I will do whatever I can to bring you back here safely." This he told her with an elaborate gesture of his arm thumping to his chest.

A gentleman of royal blood from the faraway kingdom Sinath answered, "I will think of ways that will not harm either of us." The gentleman preferred to keep his name a mystery from her as an element of surprise, and she just wanted to roll her eyes in return when he gave her a wink.

Then there was the son of King Hiryuu who just visited the Kingdom last week. Prince Seto was courteous enough to offer his apologies and sympathy for what she had to go through as the Princess. He said that if it were him in her position, he would not want to have an arranged marriage either because he also believed in fairy tales and as the Prince, he knew his rightful princess was waiting for him somewhere. They shared a laugh at that, and Temari appreciated the time they spent conversing. His answer also pleased her the most. He said, "I will seek the advice of the King." She thought this to be the most logical and most promising answer of all.

She accepted these three answers because they were not trying too hard to sound pretentious and they did not construe her as a damsel in distress. Contrary to popular belief, a princess does not need her prince to die for her.

That was it for the day, but she would have to spend her whole night deciding on who among the three gentlemen could be the most fitting match, if not the right person, for her. She did not feel anything for any of the gentlemen who presented themselves, and she was sure her story would not be as gaily and as colorful as the old lady's. But she could be content with just a companion, another friend besides Shikamaru, who would understand her way of thinking.

Right after the King had delivered his closing speech, Temari immediately excused herself, sparing no time to carry on with formalities. Drained of energy, she quickly proceeded to her room

But just before she went in, a voice called out to her.

"Well done, Princess."

". . . I hope so." She smiled listlessly.

"Have you made your decision yet?"

She pursed her lips before slowly nodding.

"Yes. I guess I'll be marrying someone after all," she laughed softly before pushing the door open. "Good night, Shika."

"Good night . . . and congratulations to you, Princess."

She stared at him for a while before smiling and finally closing the door.

 **...**

 _ **Tbc.**_

(uneventful indeed)


End file.
